#3- Host an Open House at an Architect's Office

“HOW TO” HOST AN ARCHITECTURE WEEK OPEN HOUSE AT AN ARCHITECT’S OFFICE
(courtesy of AIA Northeast Illinois)
Schedule
4 weeks prior......
o Set up date of Open House with your office
o Contact high school guidance counselors to explain your offer to host students that are interested in architecture as a profession.
o Send information flyer to contact person at the school with date, program agenda and map to the office.
o Announce Open House to everyone at your firm and ask for volunteers to help with the Open House. Target recent graduates and intern architects and graduate that may have attended the high schools you are inviting. Students are really interested in hearing about what it is like during the first year of college. Also, have a few experienced architects on hand for parents to ask questions about the profession.
2 weeks prior.......
o Check-in with the contact person to remind them of the open house details and ask for to have student’s names that are attending by a set date.
o Discuss agenda with the volunteers in your firm and assign responsibilities.
o Prepare a “How to become an Architect” power point (sample provided –edit as desired) and/or other presentation material such as list of accredited architecture schools, list of recommended classes that colleges would like high school students to take (minimum requirements).
o Consider showing images of area projects that students may recognize or some the AIA Illinois 150 Great Places to emphasis the theme “Design Matters”.
1 week prior......
o Check-in again with contact. Explain that you need the final list of names by a set date (3 days ahead). Get spellings of names for nametags.
o Resend the details, agenda and map to your office.
o Make nametags for students. Include their high school on the name tag. Make nametags for all staff that are helping with the Open House.
o Arrange for refreshments, such as cookies, pop corn, pop and water.
o Prepare a hand out with key firm members e-mail contact information if the students have questions a later date and/or provide business cards.
Day Of.....
o Set up Welcome table with nametags.
o Set up refreshments.
o Set up and run through power point.
o Set up all other displays, etc.
o Take photos of students in your office.
After......
o Send a thank you note to your contact at each school and ask for feedback on the program. Consider a short survey that the students can fill out.
o Send press release with photos to local paper and to each school for their newsletters. (Refer to sample).
Agenda
o Refer to sample used by Wight and Company for 2009 Open House (edit as desired).